2/24/2014

HBM Reviews: Strider (2014)

So, last week, Strider suddenly came out with little to no promotion, which I only suddenly learned about while surfing the web. So I ended up downloading it the day after. And now, it's time for a review.

In the distant future, the world is now ruled by a dystopian government led by the evil Grandmaster Meio. To combat him, a secret team of ninjas known as Striders have been created, and now, the youngest A-Rank Strider, Hiryu, is the last hope for the freedom of humanity, and possibly life as we know it.

The gameplay takes place on a 2.5D plane, with a Metroidvania-style map and backtracking. Strider's an action game, so it has a very simple control scheme. You have your basic attack, which gets upgraded as you progress through the game, a secondary attack to send enemies into the air, and many other options you unlock over the course of the game, such as a charge attack, double jump, and different elements for your weapon, the Cypher. You can also climb on most of the walls and ceilings, though this is usually used to get secret stuff and only occaisionally used in normal gameplay. The enemies are fairly weak and go down easy, but they get stronger and a bit smarter as you progress, and the bosses are usually pretty tough (and awesome).

Throughout the game, by going into branching paths or secret areas, you can find hidden extras, such as intel for the datalog, optional missions, power-ups, and alternate colors for Hiryu.

So, the game is a bit more straight-forward and quick than I anticipated, but it's still a lot of fun. I mean, you should expect an action game to go by quick, right? Anyway, I'd check this game out, if you haven't already.